The Allied States of Proserppina is a tiny, orderly nation, remarkable for its restrictive gun laws and stringent health and safety legislation. The cynical population of 16 million Proserppinans are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The medium-sized, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 37.2%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The fragile Proserppinan economy, worth 344 billion Asters a year, is led by the Trout Farming industry, with major contributions from Door-to-door Insurance Sales, Automobile Manufacturing, and Pizza Delivery. Black market activity is notable. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 21,518 Asters, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Proserppina's national animal is the Aster.

Proserppina is ranked 275,619^th in the world and 42^nd in Asteroid Belt for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring -21.21 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.